Thinking Out Loud
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Dana Dudley
dana@espmedia.net
P: 850.222.0361
ESP Media Production Co.
1026 East Park Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32301

Florida Shouldn’t Waste Its Teachable Moments
History offers a great lesson plan to deal with race and racism in Florida. If only our public schools had the appropriate tools to teach it.

Florida Democrats Must Craft Compelling, Progressive Campaigns in 2018
2018 is almost here, and if Democrats running for Florida’s top political posts hope to have impact – much less win – they had better shed the staid campaigns of elections past and replace them with compelling themes and relevant policies that resonate with the voters.

Vantage Point
If Black Lives Matter then the conversation regarding Police Body Cameras must move beyond debate. Staten Island, Ferguson, Cleveland, Charleston, Tulsa, Baltimore, and now Cleveland again, have become marred by news of police officers claiming the lives of unarmed black men. The use of deadly force is far too often an evaluation made solely through the vantage point of the officer. And as the old adage goes, “dead men tell no tales.”

Black Men Bare the Burden of Other People’s Suspicions
The Florida “Stand Your Ground Law,” provides immunity from arrest unless police have probable cause to believe self-defense does not apply. In this provision, police are asked to act as law enforcement, judge and jury. This law takes away the checks and balances system we need in place for due process and justice to prevail. Due process in the Trayvon Martin case would have required some uniform guidelines in place for the police officers to determine whether self defense existed or not. The police attained a statement from George Zimmerman, but failed to collect any evidence to corroborate his story. Because of this we will never know whether Zimmerman was bleeding or if a scuffle really happened as alleged. The police did not check Zimmerman for drug or alcohol use, but did check the body of Trayvon Martin for the same; Due process is a fundamental element of the American jurisprudential ideology and a philosophical underpinning that required both Zimmerman and Martin to be tested.

Legislature must call special session to fix Stand Your Ground law
George Zimmerman is now in custody and has been charged with second degree murder, yet our fight for justice is far from over.

Florida: Democracy of Indecision
Elections are over and there are new sheriffs in town. For over a decade our leaders have fallen short of making tough decisions to chart our state on a new course. As a State, we have made some commendable moves in the right direction. However, the time of half measures and equivocation has ended. For far too long we have engaged in the most dangerous type of democracy; the democracy of indecision. As voters we say we value education. We seem to understand that an enhanced educational system is important to long term economic development. Yet compared to other States, we rank 49th in per pupil spending. Although throwing money at the issue won’t completely solve the problem, we must choose to invest in our students and find ways to deliver education discernibly better. If we don’t make a conscious choice, we inadvertently allow public education to passively embrace its fate, whatever that fate may be.

U.S. Healthcare Debate: Losing Focus!
In America it requires 270 votes in Electoral College to be elected President of the United States. During his campaign for the Presidency, President Barack Obama made a promise to increase access to health care for all Americans. And simply stated, a majority of Americans voted for his concept and idea of “Change,” which included universal health care!

The American Dream: Restocked
In law school, I wrote a paper titled, “America if you don’t have the product, take down the sign.” The paper was a discussion about historical documents and philosophical writings that market what America has to offer its citizens. The most prominent of the products promised by America is the “American Dream.” The paper reads, “Implicit in the American Dream is the belief that every man is created equal; that democracy exists; that the opportunity to achieve and to excel is apparent and through hard work it is available to every man.” The paper goes on to state that reality in America illustrates something different than what is portrayed by its product label. “Just as urine in an expensively labeled wine bottle will still taste like urine, words on the most expensive stationary are still just words, and dreams, as real as they may seem, are usually not realistic. To place America in front of “dream” is a truism; a facade that exists in this country. And for the African American male, this dream holds elements of a nightmare which forces many of us to live in impalpable darkness, where there is blocked access to means of excelling.” The paper demanded for America to take down the sign advertising equality and opportunity for all because the product appeared to be out of stock.

Should Barack Obama choose Hillary Clinton as his Running Mate?
With the Democratic primary coming to a close, it appears certain that Senator Barack Obama will clinch the presidential nomination
The question now– Who he will choose as a running mate?

The Value of Small Business
I am extremely grateful that the Pittman Law Group was the recipient of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. The Tallahassee Chamber put on a red carpet awards luncheon to honor the nominees and to recognize their commitment to bettering the community through business excellence. No sector of a community is more deserving of recognition, yet more often passed over for it, than a small business. Small businesses play a vital role in the life of a community by creating a foundation of happy and healthy residents; it is here that small retailers, service providers and suppliers get their start and the good fortune to provide employment opportunities often the first jobs for many—for workers with a broad range of skills and experience.
Links
Contact
Dana Dudley
dana@espmedia.net
P: 850.222.0361
ESP Media Production Co.
1026 East Park Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32301